ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pending cuts to the
Medicare physician fee schedule could severely hamper the ability of
physical therapists to serve the rehabilitation needs of seniors and people
with disabilities -- driving up overall costs while decreasing quality of
care, according to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and its
Private Practice Section.
In testimony May 8 before a hearing of the U.S. House Committee on
Small Business, Tom DiAngelis, PT, vice president of APTA's Private
Practice Section, commented that a scheduled 10.6 percent cut in Medicare
physician payments could have an especially devastating impact on PTs in
private practice, who are faced with not only the rising costs of running a
small business, but also decreases in revenue due to a variety of
government payment and policy challenges. The hearing on "Medicare
Physician Fee Cuts: Can Small Practices Survive?" provided an opportunity
for the committee to examine the potential impact of fee cuts on the
practices of physicians and other allied health professionals. Unless
Congress intervenes, the cuts will go into effect July 1, 2008, and could
also have significant ramifications on the services offered to Medicare
patients, according to APTA.
"These Medicare beneficiaries are individuals who have suffered from
stroke, had joint replacements or chronic diseases that impair their
ability to move, walk and perform their daily tasks," DiAngelis testified.
"Physical therapist small businesses address these beneficiaries' health
care needs throughout the United States and contribute to the health status
of our country, including its economic health."
Physical therapists, in particular, are being hit especially hard,
according to DiAngelis. Not only will they experience the overall 10.6
percent reduction in payment under the fee schedule, they also will be
subject to an arbitrary annual cap of $1,810 per beneficiary on outpatient
services beginning July 1.
"This cap will not save the Medicare program money," added DiAngelis.
"It would only shift the cost of care away from outpatient facilities and
small business to more costly and less efficient inpatient facilities.
Small businesses in physical therapy will be impacted as the therapy cap
policy includes an exemption for hospital outpatient departments. This
exemption will do nothing more than encourage patients to seek services in
the hospital setting to avoid having to change providers over the course of
their physical therapy treatment when they reach the cap." APTA is
advocating for a repeal of the therapy caps or an extension of the current
exceptions process that maintains access to clinically appropriate physical
therapy services under Medicare.
In addition to the problems posed by the pending payment cuts and
therapy caps, physical therapists in private practice have significant
limitations on how patients may access their services and the marketplace,
DiAngelis explained. Currently, Medicare requires that patients obtain
physician referrals to receive physical therapy, despite laws in 44 states
and the District of Columbia providing direct patient access to physical
therapists. "If the payment cuts go into effect and physicians stop taking
Medicare patients or limit the accessibility or availability of physician
services, then access to physical therapy services will be impacted as a
ripple effect," DiAngelis added. APTA is lobbying for passage of the
Medicare Patient Access to Physical Therapist Act (HR 1552) as one strategy
to provide relief to physical therapist small businesses.
"The health care delivery system needs physical therapist small
businesses to meet patients' rehabilitation needs," testified DiAngelis.
"If those needs are unmet, then health care costs will be transferred to
more intensive, costly environments, compounding the existing crisis in
health care spending. Physical therapist small businesses are a
cost-effective, efficient delivery model for physical therapy services, and
efforts to maintain and enhance this setting are essential."
To read DiAngelis' full testimony, visit: http://www.apta.org/media.
APTA is asking its members and consumers to contact members of Congress
and urge them to prevent the implementation of policies that would severely
impact rehabilitation coverage for Medicare beneficiaries. For more
information on these and other APTA advocacy efforts, visit APTA's Patient
Action Center at:
http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Patient_Action_Center1&Template
=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=279&ContentID=32636.
Physical therapists are health care professionals who diagnose and
manage individuals of all ages, from newborns to elders, who have medical
problems or other health-related conditions that limit their abilities to
move and perform functional activities in their daily lives. Physical
therapists examine each individual and develop a plan of care using
treatment techniques to promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore
function, and prevent disability. Physical therapists also work with
individuals to prevent the loss of mobility by developing fitness- and
wellness-oriented programs for healthier and more active lifestyles.
The Private Practice Section of APTA represents 4,200 practitioners who
are the owners or operators of physical therapy private practices.
The American Physical Therapy Association (http://www.apta.org) is a
national organization representing physical therapists, physical therapist
assistants, and students nationwide. Its goal is to foster advancements in
physical therapist education, practice, and research. Consumers can visit
http://www.findapt.us to find a physical therapist in their area, as well
as http://www.apta.org/consumer for physical therapy news and information.
SOURCE American Physical Therapy Association
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Related links:
http://www.apta.org/
http://www.findapt.us
CONTACT:
Stephanie Block of American Physical Therapy
Association, +1-703-706-3397, stephanieblock@apta.org
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